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Marius Krieg
While not of royal blood, Marius Krieg is the namesake of the current Imperial royal family and was a moderately famed Imperial lieutenant in the 9th legion from a small Xisorii family. Marius was born into the house of Krieg, a martial and minor noble house originating from the southern isles. In his youth, Marius was handsome, strong and stern. He was broad and his face was wide, weathered and chiselled. Having witnessed the death of his comrades and the progressive madness of his mother, Marius became incredibly cold and isolated, but in turn highly committed to his martial cause. At the age of 17 Marius left the Krieg estate to train at the Imperial college of Ostracon. He left partly because he wanted to escape the madness of his mother (whom he left to the Krieg's servants and the local church) and partly in the hope that achieving some degree of fame would help his mother regain hope and sanity. As a result once he had trained at the college for 4 years and joined a regiment heading for the 9th Legion, Marius quickly adopted a tactical, logical but incredibly brave and at times heroic attitude to combat, leading his men into situations that were dangerous but rewarding. His men trusted him greatly and he grew to have a strong bond with them. Rumours said Marius may have even had bisexual relationships with some of them, although this may simply be propaganda from fellow jealous commanders who envied how quickly Marius was promoted. His unit was progressively killed off however, leaving him the sole survivor of his original company (although this happened over several years rather than suddenly) The loss of his friends had made him cold and stern, but he remained committed to the Imperial cause. After the loss of his regiment he was put in command of the main artillery unit of the legion, one of the most valuable parts of the 9th. He was particularly skilled with mathematics and artillery and commanded the unit well, although he intentionally remained distant so as not to form any new bonds. At the battle of Felois, when a huge Gauloinese army began to advance onto the majority of the 9th Legion, Marius was once again in command of the artillery atop a grassy hill flanked by forest and several other smaller hills. General Regnat Xisor stood behind with a unit of knights, commanding the battle from above and readying himself to defend any flanks threatened by enemy cavalry. What Regnat did not expect however was a contingent of Gauloinese knights moving past the small hills and behind the forest to attack Regnat himself. Caught by surprise his personal retinue was massacred, leaving General Regnat to fight for himself. The Xisor lord did well but was losing, until Marius himself rushed in on foot to the General's aid and cut down 4 horsemen single handedly, causing the others to flee. For his valiance and loyalty, Marius was appointed as one of Regnat's knights. This incident was greatly publicised by Imperial media who hoped that the story would prove to be good propaganda and a moral raiser for both the 9th legion and all the Empire. Marius became Regnat's most trusted knight, and later in his older years would serve as knight to General Corvus Xisor also. After Felois however Regnat was sent to oversee 9th Legion operations in the Burned Lands, and he was put in command of the regiment there. It was here he met a travelling artist named Arlette Varren, who while at first he despised for her overly positive attitude to life (he would call her strictly by her surname), Marius would eventually be tasked with escorting Arlette through the shadow lands to a safer region in the north. Their unit was attacked and only Arlette and Marius survived, with the Marius sustaining and injury and the two making camp in a cave. Not only did Arlette help fix his wound but the two began to talk through the night, discussing their pasts and growing closer. Arlette allowed Marius to open up about the horrors in war he had witnessed and his concerns about his mother, while in turn Arlette's stories of her journeys and past allowed Marius to earn a great deal of respect for her. When their cave was beset by Goblin raiders Marius expected this would be the end, he drew his sword and prepared for the end. Arlette would not allow it however, and was able to tactfully persuade the goblins to leave them in peace and direct them to safety. She proved diplomacy and persuasion were valid weapons. The two had fallen deeply in love with each other, and would spend only one night together in this confessed state. By a small brook only a day away from the northern pass to Husariian territory, Marius and Arlette shared their love and grew close. When they arrived the next day in the north however, Marius was re-deployed and Arlette had to move on. Lieutenant Krieg would continue in his campaigns under Regnat, eventually being sent off to the colonies under the newly appointed General Corvus Xisor. Corvus would try lead the 9th Legion through a campaign in the colonies, one that would ultimately fail as the forces of the new continent united against the Empire.Marius was gravely injured, losing a leg, an eye and being severely scarred. By this point as well he had begun to grow bald, and he was no longer the young hero he had been before. He was honourably relieved of duty and returned to his native home. He did not rest for long however, and within days Marius had used his fame, friends and reputation to find all the information he could on Arlette and began to search for her. It took him almost a year to find her, travelling on his own mostly inhibited by his injury, but he eventually found her. The two's love had only grown stronger in the years, and it is said they spent 3 months together in a tavern. When they finally left to return to the small homestead of Marius, they were married. They eventually bought a new homestead in the city of Ottanledge, and lived here for many years. When the house was attacked by anti-royalist forces, Marius was incapable of attacking but drew his sword anyway. Arlette had learnt how to fight over her years, and she slew three men that tried to attack Marius as she defended him. When the forces began to overwhelm them, Marius and Arlette held each other and awaited their fates, being killed. Despite their deaths, it had allowed their two children to escape and eventually flee to Ottanledge. Category:Character